Newsroom

Make One Day twice as nice

The Kiwanis family of clubs hopes to see double during this year’s observance of Kiwanis One Day, set for Saturday, April 5.

Kiwanis-family members observe Kiwanis One Day by working together to paint picnic tables at a YMCA Day Camp.

“We really hope at least twice as many Kiwanis-family clubs participate this year than last year,” notes International President Dave Curry, “and that clubs use their clout as service leaders to encourage their neighbors to join them. More clubs and people participating means more communities and children being served.”

Kiwanis One Day unites Kiwanis and its family of clubs—Kiwanis Junior, Circle K, Key Club, Aktion Club, Builders Club, and K-Kids—with their communities for a day of service like none other. A lot of good work gets done on Kiwanis One Day, but its primary purpose, notes Kiwanis International CEO Rob Parker, is to build awareness about the value of service.

“Obviously, Kiwanis One Day projects don’t carry the same life-changing impact as many of the long-term projects our clubs undertake,” Rob says, “but we hope that over time it will grow into a huge entry point or introduction to Kiwanis for people who don’t know us.”

More than 600 Kiwanis-family clubs participated in the inaugural Kiwanis One Day this past year. Among them:

• The Kiwanis Club of Woodland, California, joined by Key Club and Aktion Club members to paint picnic benches at the Nelson’s Grove YMCA Day Camp.

“We just went looking for something that needed to be done and volunteered our services,” notes club member Mark Vale. “The project was ‘financed’ by a paint store that contributed more than $800 worth of paint and painting accessories. We only had to supply the manpower.”

• The Kiwanis Club of Pocomoke City, Maryland, kicked off the first phase of its “Create a Park” program, planting shrubbery in a vacant lot it is developing into a park. The club’s sponsored K-Kids, Builders, and Key Clubs worked side-by-side with the Kiwanians.

“We were proud to join our Kiwanis-family members for this special One Day of service,” Barb notes. “The spirit of camaraderie we enjoyed in doing something for our community was gratifying for our members.”

• In a One Day collaboration between the Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge, Georgia, and the Circle K club at Bainbridge College members cleaned a one-mile stretch of highway near the college, toting away more than 300 pounds of garbage. After the garbage was picked up, they sorted it into trash and recyclables, with the latter taken to the recycling center.

To increase visibility, One Day volunteers are encouraged to wear Kiwanis gear while participating in Kiwanis One Day. They also can share stories and photos of their Kiwanis One Day experiences online. Log on to www.kiwanis.org, and select the Kiwanis Impact option from the menu on the left side of the page.

Kiwanis International also offers Kiwanis One Day resources. Click on the Service Project option of that same menu; then, select Kiwanis One Day.